The Amnesiac

Rachel's Revelation

"Here you are... I was looking for you..."

Rae places her warm hands on your cheeks, slightly rubbing until your eyes open. Her tired stare is so revealing that even your half-asleep brain knows what she wants, so you beckon her toward you.

You remain on the couch where you'd fallen asleep last night as she crawls underneath your blanket. Her small body fits snugly in the space between you and the sofa back. Her hand rests on your chest, her digits lightly pressing into your sternum.

"How was yesterday?" You mumble.

"I loved it! I want to do it again," she mutters. "Not today, though."

Your heart trembles.

Everything from last night comes back to you, and the only thing that stops panic from taking over is the soft kiss Rae places on your neck.

"Are you ok? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," you say, closing your eyes again. "I'm going to see someone today."

You're unsure why you said it, but telling the truth feels nice.

"Oh? Someone new?" Rae picks her head up.

"Someone I used to know."

Your eyes remain shut. Behind your eyelids, flashes of the one and only Rachel appear. You squeeze your eyes tighter, but the images remain.

Rae turns pale. With a soft exhale, she lays her head back down on your chest and holds you closer.

"Okay. Be careful."

"...I will," you softly respond.

...

The sun scorches your neck the instant you step outside. You race to your car, and instantly regret it the moment your butt hits the burning seat cushion.

"Fuck!" You grimace. You turn the car on and whip the AC to full blast, awkwardly holding your hips above the seat. After a minute, you test the seat again and settle down.

"Fucking summer..." You shake your head.

As promised, Rachel had sent you her address that morning. You'd completely forgotten that it was a Saturday, which was why she could even invite you over.

Weekends and weekdays are the same damn thing to me now. When was the last time I even worked a job?

You absently respond to Rachel, letting her know that you're on your way, then plug the address in and pull out of your driveway, leaving the many unanswered texts from your girlfriends alone for now.

...

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Rachel spouts quietly to herself. "Now?!?"

She slips her phone into her pocket and takes a look around her apartment.

"Shit!"

She runs to her window, picking up spilled soil from around the plant pots with her bare hands and dumping it back where it belongs. She tosses her bed's comforter back into place atop the mess of bedsheets and clothes, and whatever can still be seen peeking out is chucked into the laundry hamper on the other side of the room. She sweeps her desk clean of her planning notebook, her work notebook, and her doodling notebook.

She whips out her phone and navigates furiously for a few moments, then slips it back into her pocket.

She desperately tries to calm her heart. "You're fine, you're fine! It looks fine! You look fine!"